Tastes

I dont know how a whisky can be better than this. The nose is good, but doesnt prepare you for the fruity eruption of flavor on the palette. Sherry, vanilla, apricott, orange, milk chocolate, earthy grit enriching the body, super light wisp of smoke and salt. Might be my favorite Springbank, and that says a lot.

Deep and fruity, with a foundation of rich oak. Medium mouthfeel, but with a nice long and consistent finish from the oak and age. The finish is the most pleasant aspect of this whiskey. The longer it sits in the glass, the more the palette opens up with pleasant red and orchard fruits. Initially tart and green fruit transitions to ripe and stewed red apple and plum.

All creamy delicious vanilla sweetness at first, then transitions to some excellent orange (sour orange?) notes mid and late palate, along with a nice rounded smokiness. Nothing sharp on this one, but still enough Springbank character to stand out from the other all bourbon maturations out there. A couple drops of water makes the nise explode with more vanilla, and adds another layer of barley sugar sweetness. Delicious! Very thankful to have found a couple dusty bottles of this at a random store stop.

Very conflicted, and how you rate this whisky will depend on why you purchased it to begin with. This is quite possibly the epitomy of what a complex and richly sherried whisky can deliver: stewed and jammy dark fruits, nuttiness, leather, dark chocolate, and a finish that delivers these notes for days. If, however, you purchase this because you love Springbank, you may be dissappointed. The malt and distillery character is very muted given the strong (amazing, but maybe overwhelming) cask influence. Overall, great experience, but it depends what you’re looking for in a $500 bottle.

Dark chocolate, bordering on baking cocoa. Earthy and dirthy. Rich. Very long finish with more of the same.

Like eating a main of shrimp scampi (buttery lemony salty goodness) with a creme brulee desert (vanilla creamy caramel goodness).

Rich barley sugar; vanilla; moderately salty, light smoke. Rich and mouth coatingly good. Best beat, as adding water just toned down the flavors without adding anything new.

Big and rich. An initial caramel creaminess, followed by a long red berry moment in the mid palate. Long finish with oak and walnut taking stage. Very good, but not the world’s best whisky.

Perfectly balanced. Rich but not overwhelming. Sweet but not cloying. Brown sugar, fruit, a touch of smoke. Long finish. Perfection.

Relatively sweet for a rye. A nice dram, but missing some of the spicy kick I was hoping for. Then again, had it after a dram of Stagg Jr., so my palate might have been wrecked.